Loss

lillian

There is no silence here.
Not in my mind
not in the landscape
not in the memories.

Damp sand between my toes.
Infinitesimal salty granules
gathered on my upper lip.
Nothing registers.

Remnants of another time
though they are happening now.
You kissed the salt away
and now you never will.

The swishing of waves,
those white capped petals of the sea.
I have stood many a time
at the doorway of dreaming.

But you always stood with me.
Your laughter.
Your gentle eyes.
Your hand holding mine.

We dreamed together.
Now I stand alone facing this vast sea.
Shall I simply wade into the darkness
or shall I sit and pray?

Written for dVerse, the virtual pub for poets where today Sanaa is hosting. She asks us to use one line of her poetry in our poem….but we are to substitute derivatives for one or two of the words and see where that takes us in writing an original poem of our own. I’ve chosen the line “The rustling of leaves; I have stood many a time at the doorway of dreaming” from Buck Moon ~ Part two: Seeing things. I’ve substituted “swishing” for rustling and “petals of the sea” for leaves. Photo from Bermuda a number of years ago.

14 thoughts on “Loss”

  1. sanaarizvi September 7, 2021 / 7:52 pm

    Oh my heart this is incredibly moving! I so love the quote you chose for this poem – it fits perfectly – just like waves lapping on the shore. Especially this; “Shall I simply wade into the darkness or shall I sit and pray?” is brilliant as a closing. Thank you so much for writing to the prompt, Lillian 😍😍

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  2. Nancy Jahnke September 7, 2021 / 9:35 pm

    Beautiful expression of loss!

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  3. Grace September 7, 2021 / 9:50 pm

    How sad and empty this is. I love this acknowledgement of happy memories:

    But you always stood with me.
    Your laughter.
    Your gentle eyes.
    Your hand holding mine.

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  4. msjadeli September 7, 2021 / 11:24 pm

    Lillian, you nailed the prompt.
    I feel the deep ache here:
    “You kissed the salt away
    and now you never will.”
    It’s a dilemma to remember such beauty as it gives one certainty of bonding and reciprocal love yet at the same time such pain at the loss of it.

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  5. Ingrid September 8, 2021 / 6:50 am

    Hauntingly beautiful, Lillian!

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  6. Hank Kaykuala September 8, 2021 / 7:06 am

    We dreamed together.
    Now I stand alone facing this vast sea.
    Shall I simply wade into the darkness
    or shall I sit and pray?

    Love the concern and mystery registered at the close, Lillian! It makes the poem linger on in one’s memory well after reading it.

    Hank

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  7. Wild Child47 September 8, 2021 / 11:55 am

    I echo Lisa’s comment — the paradox, the heartbreaking paradox of being human – of remembering the joys of love, and celebrating it, and yet, having to be faithful to the wrenching loss – it’s such a tremendous chord, a harsh yet truthful note, and yet a gentle reminder of just how fragile we are; your poem speaks of all of this ….

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  8. Helen Dehner September 8, 2021 / 12:21 pm

    Sadness / loss is palpable in your beautifully composed poem. Standing at the doorway of dreaming resonated deeply … as I do that often.

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  9. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) September 8, 2021 / 3:37 pm

    I love this… and I echo what Wildchilld says… there is a paradox between all the love and the loss we feel when we have to part.

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  10. robtkistner September 8, 2021 / 4:35 pm

    This is deeply resonant Lillian! It rings of love, it rings of loss, it rings of memories cherished — it is a quite beautiful inquiry regarding life. Incredibly moving my friend!

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  12. sean@bogie September 9, 2021 / 1:35 am

    You have captured a profound sense of loss. Reading your poem was very sad.

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  13. ben Alexander September 9, 2021 / 2:08 am

    very poignant and moving 😦

    Shall I simply wade into the darkness
    or shall I sit and pray?

    it’s interesting to me that those are the two options you perceive as available to you, Lillian…

    ❤
    David

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